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By Abdullah Ahmed
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to people-centred budgeting, transparency and good governance, assuring that no community will be left behind in the state’s development agenda.
Governor AbdulRazaq stated this on Tuesday at Osi in Ekiti Local Government Area during a Citizens’ Engagement for the 2027 Budget Preparation Process organised by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.
Represented by the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Mary Arinde, the Governor said governance belongs to the people and that government’s fiscal plans must reflect the needs, experiences and priorities of citizens across the state.
He said the administration had, since 2019, sustained multi-stakeholder consultations across the three senatorial districts to ensure that the concerns of communities, professional groups, women, youths and other stakeholders are incorporated into the state’s development plans.
The Governor assured participants that contributions made during the engagement would receive due consideration, stressing that the budget should serve as a reflection of the collective priorities and aspirations of the people.
AbdulRazaq highlighted the administration’s achievements in infrastructure, education, healthcare and social protection, noting that hundreds of kilometres of urban and rural roads had been constructed or rehabilitated across the state.
He also cited the ongoing urban renewal initiatives in Ilorin and other major towns, including the construction and rehabilitation of township roads, Kwara Hotels, Innovation Hub, Civil Service Clinic, International Conference Centre, Kwara State Internal Revenue Service Office and Finance House, among other strategic projects.
The Governor said his administration had equally invested heavily in education through the renovation, remodelling and construction of public schools, deployment of digital technology, and training of thousands of teachers to improve learning outcomes.
He added that the government had continued to support security agencies with logistics, operational vehicles, communication equipment and other critical resources to strengthen the protection of lives and property across the state.
In her remarks, the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Mary Arinde, said the citizens’ engagement demonstrated the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability and inclusive governance.
Her address, delivered by the Director of Personnel, Finance and Supply, Mrs Medinat Mohammed Ajao, explained that the government had institutionalised participatory budgeting to ensure that citizens’ voices remain central to planning and resource allocation.
She said the 2027 budget consultation was designed to achieve a bottom-up approach by obtaining inputs directly from communities, trade groups, youths, women, civil society organisations and other stakeholders on the infrastructure, social services and economic interventions needed in their localities.
Council chairmen who attended the session commended Governor AbdulRazaq’s leadership and highlighted the administration’s achievements in their respective local government areas, while requesting that more infrastructure projects be captured in the 2027 budget.
The Olupo of Ajase-Ipo, Oba Ismail Yahya Alebiosu, and the Olosi of Osi, Oba Saliu Abdulkareem Adasofegbe Arowobeku, also commended the administration’s transformation agenda and its impact across communities.
The Olupo, however, urged the state government to intensify efforts towards addressing the deplorable condition of some federal roads in Kwara South, saying their rehabilitation, even as a palliative measure, would ease the hardship faced by residents.
Chairman of the Offa Descendants Union, Chief Tajudeen Shitu, commended the Governor for responding to several infrastructural needs in Offa, particularly the Eiyenkonrin-Offa-Eruku road network.
Speaking separately, Elder Aina Felix of Ekiti and Mr Taiye Ogunniyi of Oke-Ero identified bad roads as one of the factors contributing to security challenges in their communities and appealed to the government to intervene.
The Director of Budget, Alhaji Samsudeen Aregbe, disclosed that the state recorded 93.5 per cent budget performance in 2025, describing the achievement as evidence of the administration’s commitment to improving the welfare and living conditions of Kwarans.
The engagement was attended by members of the Kwara State House of Assembly, commissioners, local government chairmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders, representatives of KWASU, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
